


Crown Tears

by Lilafly



Series: In The Beginning [2]
Category: Caspanas
Genre: Angst, Canon, Gen, Guilt, I promise this won't become an angst fest, Preciosa's point of view on things, Sadness, also minor character death ebcause of that, but also happy and funny things, mage fights, she's a genius, slight violence/gore because of executions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-19 21:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12418350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilafly/pseuds/Lilafly
Summary: After her brother has been killed in the fire of Cellaryre, Princess Preciosa faces a future of Koruna's new succesor to the throne. Being the collected and witty girl she is, she quickly sees how her father, the king, succumbs to his fear of the Caspanas, making him unreasonable and irrational. It is her goal now to correct his mistakes without ever being caught doing it, because going against the king's word is blasphemy. And how could one do it better than pretending to be someone else? But can the Princess of the wealthiest kingdom in Mereldia really lead a double life?





	Crown Tears

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are with a new story even though I barely am able to continue on "The Fae Prince". To be completely honest, I had the idea to write this story even before I started writing on "The Fae Prince" and it was the thing that motivated me to start TFP in the first place! It all started with the song "Paper Crown" and me imagining what it would be like if the tables were turned and Prech would be the one who died in the fire. That would certainly make for an interesting alternative universe, I'm gonna have to think about that sometime. Anyway, this story is not this AU, this one is actually canon.  
> First things first: The title.  
> It is a word play. One, because the jewels in the crown are literal tears (so "crown tears" instead of "crown jewels") and the words "tears" has a double meaning. The crown, not as the object but as the royal family, is torn apart by the happenings of this story.  
> It took me a long while to come up with a fitting title and I'm quite happy with this one. c:
> 
> In any case, this story picks up after "The Fae Prince" chapter 16. You can read Chapter 16 as some sort of prequel to this one, but it is not necessary to follow the story, since things are getting repeated all the time. "Crown Tears" is about Preciosa's silent rebellion against the decisions of her father and her wish to set things into order again, being the rightful ruler Koruna deserves. I hope to present Preciosa in a somewhat more positive light here than most people have seen her so far (though "The Fae Prince" already did a lot to alter that image). And I love Preciosa. She is one of my smartest characters and I love a good battle of wits from time to time. Not that Drako couldn't do that too, but he can be quite oblivious sometimes XD
> 
> Hope you like it! Please tell me what you think :3

_Dear child of sun and moon, of stars and ground. What I will tell you is not just a story, but it is truth. It is the origin of everything you see and everything you know. It is the story of how this land came to be._

_At first there was nothing but the expanse of deadly desert. It was an impassable land and with that also one that could not be lived in. But the gods had just fought war and war had ended, leaving the rest of Mereldia as inhabitable as this desert. Food was scarce and water was contaminated from the endless many corpses that war had thrown into the rivers and lakes. The lucky ones who survived were not that lucky, for they had to suffer through a much different hell than the war itself. And when they stood before the desert, they knew that it would be either this, with a slight glimmer of hope, or certain death._

_They started their journey, but with every day passing by, more of them fell prey to the heat or the predators that roamed in the sands. It quickly became a journey without hope. It started out with seven herds that had set out on the journey together. The more time passed the smaller they grew due to the horses witnessing all kinds of death. Eventually the horses that were left were so few, that they barely counted as one single herd. Where it once had been seven herds with seven leaders, there now only was one leader for the remainders of the seven herds. The other leaders had died, each of a different death._

_The first had died from heat exhaustion._

_The second had fallen prey to witless beasts._

_The third had eaten a poisonous plant out of desperation for food._

_The fourth had stepped into quick sand, dragging half of his herd with him._

_The fifth had started hallucinating and walked off a cliff which he thought was a pool of water._

_The sixth had been bitten by a poisonous snake, causing a slow, painful death._

_The only remaining leader was Cynfor, a proud grey stallion with a mane as white as snow. He took on everyone who was left and made them his herd. He had learned from the deaths of the other six leaders and therefore knew what to do to survive._

_On the first day of this lone rule, he found an oasis. Not only was the water there fresh and clear, but also the food it offered was juicy and plentiful. While it offered a moment of comfort, it was no place the herd could stay for long. The resources would quickly be gone and they would starve and suffer thirst once again. The heat of the sun was merciless, which was why Cynfor took big leaves off of banana trees to lay on his head. The herd members copied him and therefore did not die from the heat like the first leader did._

_On the second day of Cynfor's leadership, they encountered a pack of witless beasts. He had learned from the second leader's death and therefore knew how to deceive the beasts and drive them off. He stepped forward and roared like a witless beast would. Startled by this, the predators fled and left the herd alone._

_On the third day, they encountered a field of wonderful fruit and plants, all of them looking enticing. Cynfor warned his herd to leave the fruit be, for it was the same that had killed the third leader. Only with a lot of struggle, the herd resisted the temptation of the garden and moved on._

_On the fourth day, they encountered a path that went into two different directions. One of those paths seemed inviting while the other seemed to drip with danger. To everyone's surprise, Cynfor chose the dangerous looking path, simply saying that it felt right to walk that way. Despite his earlier achievements, some herd members doubted him. After an argument with Cynfor, they decided to go the other way and declared a young stallion among them, named Xim, their new leader. The two groups each went a different path and eventually, those who stayed with Cynfor were proven right, since his herd encountered no dangers on their journey. When they were at the end of the path they found an oasis where they could rest. They rested for three days, waiting for Xim's herd, but Xim never came. Just one lone horse from his herd, a young mare, arrived at the oasis on the third day. She spoke of the great misfortune that had befallen them. At first there had been boulders falling down from the cliff nearby and then there had been witless beasts that chased them, leading them into a maze, leaving them no way to run. Those that could escape the labyrinth of stone found themselves in yet another death trap: a pool of quicksand. The mare herself had been one of three survivors, but the journey back had been so hard that only she alone had made it to tell the tale._

_From this day forth, no one questioned Cynfor's decisions anymore, but trusted him to lead them safely to the wide green meadows they dreamed of. The grey stallion looked at the stars to seek guidance in this night, and it is said that the stars whispered to him their secrets. They told him that there were things yet to overcome before they would reach a sanctuary. Cynfor believed them and stayed determined for the things yet to come._

_On the next day, he told his herd of what the stars had whispered to him. The green meadows they all dreamed of suddenly became more real than ever in their minds. They had been promised safety and a life in peace. But it was too early to celebrate, for there was still a long way to go. The thought however played in the herd's mind and let them see the meadows they dreamed of behind every dune or every rock. The longer they were disappointed by yet more hot sand and rock, the more restless they grew. Cynfor walked on with determination, deciding to not be fooled by the pictures his mind wanted to trick him with. When he noticed how distracted his herd was, he commanded them to all look at him and him alone. He would guide them to sanity and to their land of peace and that this was all they needed to know. And so, the herd only looked at Cynfor instead of searching for the green land with their own eyes. He would search it for them and they could trust him to find it._

_On the last day of the journey they saw something unlike anything else looming up on the horizon. It was neither stone, nor sand, but something otherworldly. The closer they came, the weirder it looked in their eyes. Upon reaching it, they discovered that they had not only found a field of rubble, belonging to an ancient ruin city, but also an oasis the size unlike any other they had ever encountered. Trees grew here, as well as grass. A river flowed through the core of the city and in its center stood the tallest and most regal ruin of them all. A palace._

_But even this oasis seemed to be deceptive, as Cynfor quickly felt. He told everyone to stay on guard and carefully made his way through the ruins, followed closely by his herd. They quickly found out that this paradise was in no way uninhabited. Vermin had made its home here. Rats, snakes and the despicable creatures that ate the former. Cynfor lead the herd to the center in twists and turns, being careful to not encounter a poisonous snake, since that had killed the sixth leader._

_At the same time the herd arrived at the palace the sun set. It was then, that the stars peeked down from the sky again and started to whisper to Cynfor once again. They told him that he had passed the six tests of the six gods._

_The first test had been from the god of fire, testing him to withstand the heat of the desert._

_The second test had been from the god of air, testing if he knew how to use his voice correctly to make other creatures beside horses obey him._

_The third had been from the god of water, testing if he could resist the temptation and follow his better judgement to not be poisoned._

_The fourth had been from the god of earth, testing if he could feel the ground beneath him good enough to choose the safe path for his herd and himself._

_The fifth had been from the god of light, testing if he could overcome the tricks his mind and the light wanted to play him._

_Then the sixth had been from the god of darkness, testing if he could resort to kill the creatures he considered vermin to let horses be the lone rulers of their newfound sanctuary._

_From all those tests, Cynfor had failed only that of the god of darkness, refusing to kill the witless and even the sentient flying, furred inhabitants that hunted the witless vermin. The stars told him that, even though he lacked the will to kill for his own gain, he was unquestionably a leader chosen from the gods and therefore a rightful king. They told him to remember those tests and to keep being a fair leader to his herd, or better said, a fair king to his subjects._

_Cynfor took the mare, who had been the last survivor of Xim's herd, as his wife to show that even those who had once doubted him deserved a second chance. But not only did he gift her great kindness, but also named the land they lived in after her, Koruna, to honor her for surviving the deadly path on her own and having been able to return to him. From then on, he taught her how to see the right path, so that she would not deviate from it any more._

_In the course of that, Cynfor decided to make the furred flying creatures, who called themselves Raccardis, his workers. Instead of vermin, he offered them real food and they accepted it in return for their work. They worked to make the ruins stable and livable again so that they could protect everyone from the heat at day and the sandstorms that mercilessly blew over the city without warning._

_Time passed and eventually other fugitives from the war found the ruin city that Cynfor had called Monabur. These fugitives at first did not recognize Cynfor has their king, due to him being a horse and them being of other species. The king remembered what the stars had told him though and so he used his voice to make the fugitives listen and obey. And they did._

_Even more time passed and Cynfor slowly grew old. The gods had gifted him with six children, each clever and special in their own way._

_Fintan was Cynfor's first son. He was gifted the ability to control fire, as a gift from the God of Fire to show his gratitude for Cynfor passing his test._

_Altaria was Cynfor's second child and first daughter. She was gifted the ability to speak her mind and let others listen to her words intently, just like her father also could. It is said that she also could hear words in the wind, whispering to her in the same way the stars were once whispering to her father. This was an ability the god of air had gifted her as gratitude to Cynfor for making use of his voice so well and in the hope that this trait would be carried on._

_Rhea was Cynfor's third child and second daughter. She had the ability to let springs appear out of dry ground whenever she wanted to, gifting more water and therefore more ground to live to the land. It was a gift from the god of water, hoping for the princess to spread the green oasis that was Monabur, to make more land fertile through water and as a token of appreciation to Cynfor, who had once resisted the temptation to eat from the deadly desert garden._

_Damek was Canfor's fourth child and second son. He had the gift of always knowing where the best path to go was and could even predict earthquakes and sandstorms. A gift given to him from the god of earth as a form of gratitude to Cynfor for having been so observant in his test back then._

_Umashree, who was widely known as just Princess Shree, was Cynfor's fifth child and third daughter. She had the gift of seeing just the truth ever and always and of also being able to hear the stars whisper at night when she was praying to them. A gift given to her from the god of light for her gentle spirit and most especially as a gratitude to Cynfor for not being deceived by light and mind, but by only following his heart._

_Dwayne was Cynfor's last and sixth child, as well as his third son. In contrary to his five older siblings, Dwayne had not received a gift from the gods. The only god left that could have given him one, the god of darkness, had nothing to thank Cynfor for. Being so different from his siblings and his father, Dwayne tried to achieve each trait they all possessed, but failed in every single one of them. Convinced that the only thing he could still do was to pass the test his father had not passed back when he had found Monabur, he went on to try it himself. The test the god of darkness had given Cynfor. Dwayne started to kill normal vermin at first, rats and snakes, hoping to appease the god of darkness with it to achieve a gift as well. When this did not work, he started to attack and kill the Raccardis, who he also started to see as vermin, unlike his father. But even then, Dwayne did not receive a gift. Instead, his father was forced to lock his son away before he would turn to insanity and murder innocent people. Every night Cynfor prayed to the gods to forgive his son for his sins, but to no avail. The stars had not spoken to him since he had been declared king and Cynfor refused to tell his daughter Shree about Dwayne's secret wish of getting a gift from the god of darkness. Only Shree had a connection to the stars, but even to her the celestial bodies kept quiet about Dwayne, as if they were ashamed of his very existence._

_Eventually, Cynfor died after having lived a long and happy life. He had long since decided for his oldest son Fintan to become the new king of Monabur and so Fintan was crowned. He could not stand to have his brother locked up in prison any longer, so he set Dwayne free, telling him that he could follow the right path even without a gift or talent. However, he thought foolishly, for Dwayne's insanity had just grown in the years of imprisonment and his goal to achieve a gift was bigger than ever._

_Fintan quickly realized he did not do any favors by releasing his brother, on the contrary, it was like setting loose a wild animal that only knew how to kill without regret. Dwayne was too blinded by his wish to receive a gift to feel any remorse about his actions. Eventually, king Fintan and his younger siblings managed to catch Dwayne with the help of their powers and locked him up in the dungeon again._

_On this night, Princess Shree prayed to the stars, asking for guidance. She, more than everyone else, was against harming her brother, even though he had committed unforgivable sins. The stars, while recognizing her gentle heart, could not help her. They told Shree that her brother had been taken by the darkness in his heart and that he could not be cured of it. It had been not a gift, but rather a curse the god of darkness had given him as a way to punish Cynfor for failing his test. Those that had been chosen by darkness could not be helped anymore, and the only thing one could do was to put them out of their misery._

_Upon hearing this, Princess Shree started to cry. She loved her brother dearly and could not stand the thought of ending his life. Her tears were of such love and misery that they turned into little crystals that fell on the ground. It is said that those crystals later became the jewels of the crown to remind every king of Monabur of the broken-heartedness Princess Shree had once felt, so that such a tragedy would not repeat itself._

 

Preciosa closed the Book of Prayers and looked to the crown that sat in front of her on her bed. A crown which’s opalescent gemstones, shaped like tears, were made out of sorrow and pain. An appropriate weight to carry for a princess of Koruna. The reminder was clear and the young princess has never connected with Princess Shree as much as in this moment.

The moon, that shone through the window let the translucent gems in the white golden lining sparkle and throw light points on the bedsheets. Sheets that should have been burned but weren’t. A miracle or a curse? Preciosa couldn’t tell.

She was in a room that would from now on be _her_ room. A room in the unburned west wing of Cellaryre which granted her a view on the courtyard and of course over almost the entire city of Monabur.

It felt wrong to see things perfectly clean and in order like those bedsheets. It created the impression that nothing ever happened in the first place. The thought of Draco storming into her room to tell her about his latest adventure outside of the castle was very real in this environment. Just, he _wouldn’t_ come. He would never come. Because he was dead.

Preciosa doubted that she would ever get used to it. That one even _could_ get used to it. It hurt to have him gone.

With some concentration she managed to levitate the crown back onto her head. Magic came natural to her, but it still was hard work to even manage simple spells. She was not supposed to know magic. When it came to the royal family, it was for the kings and princes only. An unfair thing in her eyes, since in Eriwon the princesses and queens were allowed to learn it.

Tradition forbid it Preciosa though. Tradition forbid her a lot of things actually. She loathed tradition.

She held back a sigh as she stood up from her bed and walked to the open doors to the balcony. White curtains gently flew in the night breeze and created the illusion of peace. There was no peace for Preciosa. The courtyard still had the blood-covered log with the axe on it. Orion, an innocent, had lost his life there yesterday morning. It was the most gruesome thing the filly had ever seen and she feared, that it wasn’t the last time she would see an execution.

Her gaze shifted from the courtyard up to the city. It was a sea of little lights at this hour. Lights that lost themselves in the distance and faded one by one.

Her decision of the previous day came to mind again and she nervously bit her lip at the thought of it. She would not just betray the crown and cross her father’s will, but also drag others into it. She was two years old, so what did she know? Something important actually: that her father was wrong and the Caspanas were innocent.

Right now, everyone followed her father’s words without second thought, being blinded just as he was. Disobeying him or voicing otherwise in that topic would be blasphemy. So, was Preciosa even going against the gods?

No, she wasn’t. The Book of Prayers clearly said that no innocent should be killed. She would follow that, because she was not only sure that the Caspanas were innocent, but also that the real murderer was getting away through the false accusation!

What she needed were loyal people who listened to her. Not just soldiers but also servants, subjects or just random allies. She needed everyone she could get. Just enough to do what was right. To free Caspanas that were captured and bring them away to safety. To work against the injustice without being a ruler of the country yet.

She didn’t need to do anything immediately, or better said, she _couldn’t_. Her father wouldn’t listen to her. This was why she had to do this by herself. She was the only heir of the throne of Koruna, the last Alberetti in line. One day she would be queen and she could not risk that her soldiers wouldn’t listen to her. But how did one make soldiers listen? How did one make them respect you?

The first honest grin in a long while stretched her lips when she got an idea. An idea so simple that it was almost brilliant.

She had offered Rylon a place in the military and it seemed to have been no problem. With her grief and the grief of her parents, she got through with a lot of things at this moment. So, who said she couldn’t get through with one more thing? Say, a filly from a simple heritage who wanted to be a soldier, who the princess happened to be fond of? What would stop her to invite this filly as well?

All she needed was a name, a safe disguise and precisely scheduled free time during the training sessions. She could learn magic, fighting and also find out what the military wanted and needed. It would basically give her almost all the answers!

She needed to talk to Celestia about a disguise. Illusion spells were illegal, but no one needed to know, right? It was all for the greater good of Koruna after all!

When she turned around to exit her room, her gaze fell on the Book of Prayers again. She had stopped reading after the jewels made out of tears had been mentioned, but she knew how the story continued.

 

_On the 14 th of Anagantios, Dwayne had been executed, strongly believing to be in the right until the very end, screaming like the lunatic that he was._

_Princess Shree laid red flowers on his grave every day, symbolizing the blood her brother had spilled in his life, each flower symbolizing one life. Even in death he should remember his sins, so that he could rue them eventually, wherever he was now. The flowers were not just a reminder of Dwayne's deeds, but also a symbol of Princess Shree's love for her brother, that she even loved him still after everything he had done._

 

This part especially reminded her of herself and what she had been through in the last two days. Orion had been executed, though he had not been mad. She had barely known him, but she had cried anyway. For he was an innocent and innocents shouldn’t die. He had no grave, but she had put flowers down for him anyway.

Now she sighed after all. A deep, mournful sigh that, after exhaled, coated the room in cold silence.

She wanted him to have a grave. A place where she could visit him and lay down flowers in his honour. White flowers, since red were for the living and white for the dead…


End file.
